Shiki's arrival wound the tension even tighter.
Aokiji's eyes went cold. The Golden Lion had smashed half of Marineford, left mountains of Marine corpses in his wake, and become the first prisoner ever to escape Impel Down—too many scars on Marine pride to count.
Creed, meanwhile, finally understood why Big Mom had come all the way to Fish-Man Island for a so-called tea party. The "tea party" was a pretext; meeting Shiki was the real reason.
No one, however, was more startled than Redfield.
Redfield stepped forward, blade horizontal. "Shiki! So you're still alive."
Shiki blinked, then burst into his crooked laugh. "Keh-ha-ha-ha! And look who it is—the kid Red! Funny, though… you've gotten lighter. Back in Impel Down, you were one foot in the grave. Did they start serving better rations lately?"
Barbs flew the instant they locked eyes—old grudges, old cuts.
"Seems all the skill you had in your legs migrated to your mouth," Redfield shot back, eyes like knives. "We never settled things in Impel Down. How about we finish it today?"
Their history was real; the venom in their words proved it.
"Keh-ha-ha! Hilarious. When Roger reigned, you didn't dare poke him. When Whitebeard rampaged, you didn't knock on his door either. All you did was trade jabs with me in prison. You think your tongue wins fights out here?"
Shiki shrugged, unconcerned—but murder flashed in his gaze.
"My opponent is you, Shiki," Aokiji cut in, body half-elemental as white frost steamed off his shoulders. "This time you're going back to Impel Down's Eternal Hell."
Shiki spared him a glance. "An awakened Logia, huh? Troublesome. The Marines have raised a few decent admirals."
He tilted his head, then grinned. "Tell you what—rock, paper, scissors to pick who comes first. Or come together. I don't mind."
He still had the nerve to face two on one—the same Golden Lion who had once stormed Marineford alone.
Creed weighed his choices. Shiki… or Charlotte Linlin?
Both had treasure chests hovering over their heads.
Big Mom's was a rainbow chest—same as Kaido's. Shiki's glowed purple-gold, a first of its kind.
He'd asked the system earlier: the reason Big Mom's chest hadn't appeared before was that Creed hadn't yet reached SSSS-rank. Now that he had, every Yonko registered with a chest—and all Yonko chests were rainbow.
Shiki might not be a current Yonko, but purple-gold wasn't the usual purple. It promised something rare.
The problem was claiming them.
Creed was confident he could defeat either Big Mom or Shiki—but killing or knocking them completely unconscious would be… costly. Even at SSSS-level, cornered titans were monstrous risks.
"Kuzan, your quarrel is with Big Mom, not Shiki," Creed said at last, drawing the lines. "Redfield-senpai, leave Shiki to me."
Clear intent: one-on-one. No ganging up.
That didn't sit well with everyone.
"Don't ignore me, Creed!" Katakuri snarled. In the past, he could still trade with Creed; now that Creed stood as the Fifth Emperor of the New World, the gap stung his pride.
"Then I suppose you're my opponent," Redfield answered coolly.
"Redfield-senpai, if possible—let me take him," Ain said, stepping forward. Admiral-candidate, wielder of the Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit); she wasn't afraid of Katakuri.
That only made Katakuri angrier—since when had he become a cut of meat at the market?
Creed shook his head and handed Falkor to Ain. The little troublemaker, more fired up than even Creed, wriggled and chirped about charging the enemy until Ain nearly lost her grip.
"Kuzan isn't worth my time. You—Creed—you've grown interesting," Big Mom said, fixing on him instead. She'd already beaten Aokiji once; a rematch bored her. Creed, who'd fought Kaido to a standstill, was more to her taste.
"And I have terms. If I beat you, your entire crew joins Totto Land."
She hefted Napoleon; her voice boomed.
Creed didn't answer at once. He knew exactly what she wanted: not only his strength, but a way to snag Ain in the bargain.
"Fine. But if I beat you, will you bring all of Totto Land under my flag—join the Creed Pirates?" He lifted Samsara.
Truth be told, he wasn't letting either target slip away today if he could help it. Both chests were coming with him—one way or another.
"If you defeat me, I'll acknowledge you as a figure like Rocks," Big Mom said crisply. "And I'll submit."
That was a Yonko's pride speaking—absolute confidence, no fear of challenges.
"Keh-ha-ha! With our power, Fish-Man Island won't last a handful of exchanges," Shiki laughed, crouching to place his palm against the ground. "Let's take this upstairs."
Aokiji's face hardened. "You wouldn't—stop!"
He flashed forward in a lance of frost to prevent it. Fish-Man Island's location mattered—its people even more so. Shiki had no right to upheave millions without a word.
"Hey now—Neptune asked me to. He wants me to raise the island to the surface with the power of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi (Float-Float Fruit). No need for a Marine outsider to butt in."
Shiki's left foot swept; a crescent-shaped slash screamed out, barring Aokiji's path.
Rumble—rumble—rumble!
The entire island shook.
(End of Chapter)
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